Heroes of Olympus: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
by dkhockey18
Summary: One last quest. One last enemy to put to rest. Percy and Dax lead their team north to hunt down a lead in Canada, while Jason and Frank head to Rio. Nico finds himself in way over his head when a mysterious goddess asks for help. With a giant and Titan on the loose, can the heroes survive their most elusive prophecy to date? Sequel to Blood of Olympus: The Sea Spawn and the Mutt.
1. Here We Go Again

**A/N: Thanks for being patient. Here's chapter one of the sequel! I'm excited. Let me know what you guys think of the set up! For new readers, you might want to skim the chapter _Revelations_ from Sea Spawn and the Mutt to figure out the stuff I made up for my own BOO. Thanks and enjoy!**

**Here We Go Again**

Dax let out a deep breath of sharp September air. Summer was well on its way out the door for the year. He pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders as he quietly slipped out of the Poseidon cabin without waking the drooling Percy. A light mist curled around his ankles as he walked towards the beach. The sun had only come up minutes ago.

Skirting the woods, Dax walked through the empty mess hall where last night he ate his last meal at camp in what he was afraid would be a long time. Today the _Marathon_ and _Hephaestus_ would set sail on what would hopefully turn out to be their last quest.

Dax took off his boots so that he could feel the sand squish between his toes. The beach was cold, but the shock helped to wake him up. He sat down close enough to the surf for the bigger waves to lap at his feet lightly.

Peace. Calm. Slow. Home.

These words floated through Dax's mind as he stared at the horizon. That welcome change of pace to his life since the war with Gaea ended was about to be ripped away, just as all the demigods were beginning to get comfortable. Tensions between Greeks and Romans were at an all-time low. In fact, with Leo's help, an Olympian speed subway was being built to connect the camps.

The Flotilla was slowly but surely assimilating into their society as well. The mysterious third faction of the gods' children kept mostly to itself, but remained anchored above Camp Half Blood most of the time. Some of the engineers even volunteered to help with the railway.

But the most surprising thing about the past month had been how quickly the Greeks opened their doors to the _Marathon's_ crew. Within days, the Stolls were actively recruiting Jack and Keenan for pranks. The Aphrodite and Hephaestus cabins welcomed Jenni and Keenan with open arms. Skylar got along with everyone beautifully. As far as Dax was concerned, any brother of Percy and Annabeth couldn't be anything less than a great friend.

Jack was banned from capture the flag after he was caught cheating with his super-speed for the sixth time. Keenan accidently burned down half of the Demeter cabin. Percy and Annabeth had declared their spot at the bottom of the canoe lake off-limits after they caught Dax and Jenni down there.

Dax smiled and then unsheathed his sword. The morning sun glinted beautifully off of the two-toned blade. Dax reread the inscription on the blade for the thousandth time: _In Memorium_. Despite all the good stories and the warmth, there were still plenty of holes left in the camp and its heroes. Holes that only time could fill, but every day was a little bit better. Dax released another heavy breath.

"You ready to rock and roll, Wonder Boy?" A voice called from behind him.

Dax waited until the other boy sat down beside him before turning. "Jack, I'm surprised to see you awake before noon."

"Don't give me that. I can never sleep the night before a quest," Jack said. His eyes fixed on the horizon, "I still don't like this splitting up deal. Together nothing can beat us."

Dax sighed. "Maybe that's the point, eh? The Fates just want to make it a little harder on us."

"Well they do a bang-up job of it," Jack laughed before his voice turned serious, "Nico disappearing worries me. It has to be connected to whatever we are doing right?"

"I don't know, but coincidences are very rare these days. Even with what I've heard of his track record, it is weird." Dax said. "We are totally in the dark on this one. We haven't had this little to go on as long as I can remember."

"It's kind of fun, isn't it?" Jack laughed, "I mean the gods are all freaking out 'cause Gaea is supposed to be the 'final chapter,' or whatever. We have a totally new chunk of history to write."

Dax smiled a little bit. "I didn't think of it that way, but you're right."

Dax blankly stared ahead, trying to conjure up new monsters they would encounter. Jack was drawing something in the sand for a few minutes before he said anything.

"How are you doing, bro?" Jack asked without looking up.

"What?" Dax asked.

"You know what I mean. All of the baggage from the war. We haven't had the chance to talk about it much. We've been doing a great job distracting ourselves with rebuilding, girlfriends, and all the pranks and games we could fit in between." Jack said. He took his hand out of the sand, seemingly pleased with his work, but Dax couldn't see the drawing behind Jack's leg.

Dax took a few moments to think. Jack was right, they had done an excellent job distracting themselves. Even he and Jenni hadn't really talked about it much. Dax had been content to let time decide.

"I don't know, Jack. I haven't had much time to really think. The mourning is over, that's for sure. I've come to terms with everything, so I guess it's just up to time and filling the hole." Dax answered.

Jack stared down at his sand doodle in silence. "I know you're right. I just wish I could fill the hole faster."

"We can't totally close it up, you know? We can't forget. We have to keep Ryder, and Clark, and all the others in our memories and hearts. That might meaning holding onto a little bit of a hole, which will probably hurt a little bit." Dax said softly.

"It sounds like that's how we move forward. We grow up by growing around the holes, but they stay a part of us." Jack said.

"Maybe." Dax said hopefully.

A whistle from behind them interrupted their conversation. They both turned to see Percy grinning cockily at them.

"Morning, Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum! We are trying to start the meeting and would love for the two of you to join us.

"Who are you calling dumb?" Jack taunted back. He sprinted at Percy and knocked the son of Poseidon down before zipping off towards the Big House.

"You are so paying for that!" Percy called after him as he brushed sand off his clothes.

Dax slowly got to his feet. Looking down at Jack's drawing, Dax was impressed by the level of detail. His best guess was that the picture was of three boys standing on the bow of a ship as the sun rose in front of them. It looked like they were smoking a cigar. A faint memory tugged at the back of Dax's mind, but he couldn't figure out what the picture reminded him off.

After giving up on recalling the memory, Dax turned to join his friends as the waves lapped at the edges of Jack's drawing.

* * *

><p>The war room was silent when Dax walked in. The other ten heroes, Chiron, and Rachel were standing around the ping pong table. The anxiety in the air was palpable. All eyes fixed on Dax.<p>

Dax forced a smile. "Everyone ready for our next vacation?"

He squeezed between Jason and Jenni, who grasped his hand. Annabeth and Percy stood across from him. Percy cracked a smile, but his eyes were hard.

"You ready?" Jenni whispered.

"As ready as I'll be I think. We'll be alright." Dax squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I love you." Jenni stood on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek.

"Love you too."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Heroes, I am afraid I cannot offer you many words of wisdom. You have all achieved incredible feats. Only your experience can prepare you for what is to come, and you are all aware of how often that comes up short. I do have faith that you will succeed once again."

Dax had quickly come to realize that Chiron's pep talks were anything but peppy. Of course, that didn't mean the old centaur wasn't right. Chiron's words echoed Jack's idea of writing a new chunk of history. Dax elected to stick with Jack's optimism.

"Someone refresh me on everything we know so far." Frank said.

Rachel cleared her throat:

"_When the sky no longer wishes to embrace the earth,_

_Past the winds, the sons of the sea will seek the son of the North,_

_While the former Roman and his replacement seek the daughter of Day,_

_In the south, where the ancient Greeks would play._

_The rest of the prophecy will be heard, and the escaped Titan tethered,_

_After the Fox is hunted where the giant was dismembered._

Sorry I can't be of more help guys. I can't get a hold of any of the prophecy flashes like I usually can. It's unnerving."

"So we're splitting up. Our team goes north. Our only lead is to stop in Quebec and interrogate Boreas for information." Annabeth said.

"Meanwhile, we have to rescue the daughter of Day in Rio," Piper said, "And we only know a part of the prophecy."

"_And _we have to find and capture the best fighter of the Titans along the way." Jason said.

"Anyone understand the part about the Fox?" Hazel asked.

"Panama." Dax said.

Everyone turned to look at him. Most of the demigods knew where this was going. That didn't lessen the anger that threatened to boil over from the memory.

"Panama." Dax repeated, "Where I killed my first giants. Specifically Panama Viejo. That's where we have to hunt the Fox."

"The first European settlement on the Pacific coast of North America. The English attacked the Spanish there in 1671. The ruins there are a national landmark." Annabeth spouted instinctively.

"Sure," Dax said, "The battle happened in the ruins and surrounding area. Half of the town was destroyed."

"So we can expect a warm welcome." Frank grumbled. Most of the crowd laughed.

"And Nico's missing." Hazel said softly. Her eyes were moist. The laughter stopped.

"Which has to fit into this somehow. I just don't see where." Keenan said as if he was frustrated with a puzzle, which probably didn't make Hazel feel any better.

"We don't know enough to try to piece anything together yet." Jenni said calmly. "Jumping the gun will just make us way more anxious when we can't afford to be."

"Jenni's right." Percy said. His eyes flitted around the room and he took a deep breath. "There's one more tiny, little detail. Not all of the giants are dead. Alcyoneus survived the Battle of Olympus and is out there somewhere."

Every jaw besides Annabeth, Dax, and Jenni's hit the floor. Percy had told him and Annabeth only a few days after they returned to camp. It was just another facet of this quest that was confusing and scary. Of course, Dax couldn't keep something like that from Jenni.

"Ah, that must be tied to Nico." Keenan said satisfactorily, as if he matched two pieces of his puzzle.

"You would think. My dad told me when we were on Olympus. I'm sorry I kept it a secret, but like Jenni said, we can't get freaked out about things outside of our control." Percy continued.

"Nico can have the giant. That guy must be royally POed at us." Jack said with a huff.

Silence reclaimed the room for close to a full minute. Dax scanned the other faces. Everyone still looked weary from their last adventure, but fire still lit their eyes. This fight wasn't going to be easy, but they looked ready for it anyway.

"Okay." Dax sighed.

"Let's get started." Jason said with forced enthusiasm.

"Not so fast, brats." A new voice echoed.

Mr. D waddled into the room. Last night must have been wild, because Dax had never seen someone's eyes so red and bleary from a hangover. The pudgy god wormed his way between Jason and Piper so he could have the spotlight.

"Yes, yes, you all performed so adequately on your previous quest. Really try to do better this time around. Anyway, I have a gift." Mr. D said dryly.

"Great." Percy said under his breath, or so he thought. Percy had this crazy that Mr. D was going to be more warm and fuzzy after the war with Gaea. Clearly he overestimated the god.

Mr. D glared at him, then searched the room until his eyes settled on Jack. "You, new John." Mr. D rummaged through his pocket until he found and produced a spool of thread. He tossed it to Jack. "That is a gift from my wife. It will never run out, but don't be a fool and waste it, because you only have one use."

"Yarn? You think I can weave?" Jack said incredulously, "And it's Jack."

"It's thread! Hades, Jake, you're thick. Someone explain the significance of my wife's _thread_ to him later. Good luck. Some of you headaches, please feel free to get skewered or maimed along the way." Mr. D glared at Percy again.

The god snapped his fingers and he disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

"On that happy note, let's get this show on the road." Jason said with a lopsided grin.

The crowd shuffled out of the Big House. The _Marathon_ and _Hephaestus_ were floating right overhead.

Dax stopped and looked around, taking in his new home for what could the last time for a while. The two crews said a quick goodbye and shuffled to their respective ships. No one wanted to dwell on that goodbye, it was more like a see you later.

Percy threw an arm around Dax's shoulders. "Ready, bro?"

"I'm really getting tired of that question." Dax moaned.

"Give me a break. It's an easy icebreaker." Percy elbowed Dax in the side. "When we get onboard, want to spar a round or two? My ADHD is killing me right now."

"I might need more than two rounds." Dax said. He genuinely smiled for the first time all day.

"I like where your head's at. C'mon."

The final passengers boarded the _Marathon_, and both ships dropped their anchors. With a final wave, the _Marathon_ pointed her bow north and the _Hephaestus_ began to drift south.

_Here we go again._


	2. Wonder Boy Did It

**A/N: I'll try to make transitions between the different threads as smooth as I possibly can. Let me know what you think! Please review!**

**Wonder Boy Did It**

"I've been all over the world, but I've never been to Canada." Dax said. He paced back and forth across the Marathon's mess hall.

Percy sat in the same chair as he did when he was first introduced to the Marathon's crew. That had only been a month ago, yet Percy felt like years had passed. His new friends felt just like his old ones.

"Based on my last trip, you haven't missed much." Percy said through a mouthful of pancakes.

"What do we know about Boreas again?" Skylar said as she sipped on an iced tea. Her face bore no signs of the anxiety or weariness that the others felt.

"He's a grumpy old wind god –" Annabeth started.

"And he's a coward. He served Gaea." Percy interjected.

"Yeah, we only need information from him. I'm more concerned with his kids, mainly Khione." Annabeth finished.

"Have you met them?" Dax asked without looking at Annabeth.

"No. It was always Piper, Leo, and Jason. That doesn't mean they'll like us any better." Annabeth answered.

"So we should keep the party small to keep tensions low. Definitely Jenni, because of her charmspeak." Skylar suggested.

"Okay." Jenni said.

"I'll go with her." Dax stopped pacing to say.

"Whoa there, Wonder Boy," Jack said from his perch on the table to the right of Percy, "We want to keep tensions low. You're wired like a Mercedes' V10 right now. Let Percy and Annabeth go with Jenni."

Jack's face was relaxed, but he was struggling to keep his voice calm. Percy had to agree with the speedster, Dax was really agitated about something, but Dax would go stir crazy on the ship with Jenni potentially in danger. Percy didn't mind sitting out the trip to the frozen penthouse…

Percy stole a quick glance at Annabeth. She nodded, and Percy knew they were thinking the same thing. "We'll compromise. Dax and I will go with Jenni." Percy said.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the pair. Percy knew he trusted their judgment, and he didn't blame Jack for being wary. Percy's gut told him it was the right call. He and Jenni together could keep Dax reined in.

"Your call, Annabeth?" Dax asked her with one eyebrow raised. He seemed calmer being able to go with Jenni.

"Percy's right," Annabeth said matter-of-factly, "We should be close. You three should get ready."

Dax and Jenni left quickly. Percy stood to follow but Jack caught his eye. _Watch him_, the son of Apollo mouthed.

_No promises_, Percy mouthed back with a mischievous grin. Jack made a less than polite gesture in response.

Percy turned to go above decks with Annabeth on his heels.

* * *

><p>The Marathon hovered over a hotel in the middle of Quebec City. As the ship had approached, the roof opened to reveal a massive room covered in ice and snow. The opening was just large enough for the Marathon to land.<p>

"You're sure this is the place?" Jenni asked.

"Are you kidding?" Jack shot back as he gazed open-mouthed at the frozen room, "Well have fun!"

Skylar elbowed him, "Be careful, guys!"

Percy took a deep breath. Annabeth grasped his hand, "I won't be able to maneuver the Marathon down there."

Percy leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead, "Take us down."

Annabeth squeezed his hand and then walked to the helm, where she started pushing buttons on the control board. With a slight lurch, the ship descended into the bowels of the hotel.

Dax threw the ladder overboard and began to climb down. Percy followed him. He landed with a soft crunch of snow under his feet. The penthouse could have been a beautiful ballroom if it wasn't an abandoned freezer. The only light came from the opening in the roof. The shadows cast by the furniture loomed eerily.

Jenni crunched down behind him, "Let's not stay any longer than we have too." Percy couldn't have agreed more.

"Jason said to follow the stairs." Dax motioned to the end of the room.

Dax led the way and Percy took up the rear. The stairs were downright sinister. There was no light shining from the hallway at the top.

Halfway up the stairs, Jenni's foot slipped. She cried out as she fell backwards. Percy was there to catch her.

Dax wheeled around, his sword drawn and eyes wild, ready to obliterate whatever had attacked Jenni.

"It's okay, Dax. I got her." Percy said.

Jenni let out a deep breat. "Thanks, Percy."

Dax's breathing was still labored from the sudden adrenaline. Percy would bet their ship every hair on Dax's body was standing straight at attention. He was wound too tight. If they ran into Khione, and she tried to pull a fast one, this was going to get real ugly real fast.

After scanning the room again, Dax turned back to the staircase. Why had Dax suddenly become so protective of Jenni and so jumpy? He was usually the cool, calm one, unless he got angry. But this wasn't anger, this was fear.

They stopped at the top of the staircase. The hallway was nearly pitch black. Dax unsheathed his sword and muttered a few words under his breath. A faint green glow began to emanate from the blade, illuminating the hallway.

"Cool trick." Percy said.

Dax rolled his eyes. "I had Skylar enchant it. You can thank me when you don't fall on your face over a block of ice."

Percy snorted. "Me… fall? And they say you don't have a sense of humor."

"Who says that?" Dax hissed.

Percy laughed and nudged Dax forward. "After you, Mr. Glowstick."

The trio advanced down the hall, ignoring the doors and corridors that split off. The passage ended in a pair of massive double doors, which Percy imagined would normally stand majestically, with its large engravings leering down at them. Now the doors were smashed, like the Minotaur had charged through them. Splinters of wood lay half covered in snow. Larger pieces lay strewn inside the room.

"Well, that's encouraging." Dax muttered as he stepped over the wreckage.

A white mist hung over the room, which glowed creepily in front of Dax's sword. No light shown through the windows. Percy could only tell the hall was long, and it was empty, even though the entire Twelfth Legion could have comfortably eaten dinner there.

They slowly walked the length of the room. The only sounds were their snow-crunching footsteps and chattering teeth. Percy's heart beat fast. It had to be a trap. He drew his sword.

"WHO DARES?" A voice boomed.

The mist retreated to the edges of the room. The three heroes were only ten feet from the foot of a throne of ice. An old, haggard man in a snow-white suit sat atop it. His eyes burned with anger.

"We seek the son of the north." Dax said.

"You do not understand what you mean," The man laughed without mirth. His voice carried a thick French accent, "I'm sure you're aware that I am Boreas, or else you would not have come here. But who has come?" The god quickly sized up the three, "Percy Jackson, savior of Olympus a hundred times over. What a pleasure it is. Jennifer Whirty, daughter of Aphrodite, and the infamous Mutt."

Dax barred his teeth. Percy stepped forward, "Will you help us with our quest? We only need a little information."

"Help you? You foolish, arrogant boy. Look at my realm!" Boreas swept his arms across the room, "As punishment for aiding Gaea, the Olympians stripped me of my duty. The other wind gods divided up the North winds among themselves. They emancipated my icicle army and handicapped my power. They took my sons away from me! Why? Because of you and your friends' insufferable, intolerable refusal to die. You want my help, demigod? No, no, it is much too late for that."

Boreas spat at their feet.

_Sons_. The temperature in the room fell another ten degrees. Percy drew his sword slowly. "Sons… Where is Khione?"

An icy voice sent a chill down his spine. "Ah, Percy Jackson, and here I thought you were supposed to be the dumb, reckless counterpart to Chase's genius. Too late, I'm afraid, have you found your wit."

A girl with dark hair and a white dress walked silently out of the mist. She stopped only a few feet in front of Jenni. Percy saw Dax tense and coil, like a viper about to strike. _Not good_.

"Go crawl back under the rock you've been hiding under, Khione. You don't want the gods to find you." Percy taunted.

"Oh, they will not find me, just as they did not find Oceanus and will not find Alcyoneus. Your Olympians are not as all-powerful as they like to pretend they are. Besides, who is going to tell them? You will not be leaving this place." Khione smiled evilly.

This was going south fast. They couldn't fight the goddess of snow in the freezing cold, with another god behind her. Luckily, Dax decided to improvise.

Dax lunged forward and grabbed Khione's wrist with his free hand. He pulled her close to him and spun the goddess so she was facing Boreas. Dax brought his blade up to her neck. Its green radiance grew more intense, glowing grotesquely off of Khione's pale skin.

Flurries of snow began to whirl around Khione's hands. "I wouldn't try that, if I were you." Percy said.

"You know who I am," Dax said, "You know exactly what I can do. Do not test me."

Percy couldn't tell if Dax was bluffing or not. Killing a giant was one thing. Did Dax really think he had the power to kill a god? Whether he could or not, the anger in Khione's eyes melted into fear at the possibility.

"You will never leave this room." Boreas said. The white mist began to spiral around them.

"Tell me what I want to know!" Dax yelled over the increasingly loud wind.

"Release me and I promise a swift death." Khione said.

"Boreas, please! Help us and we'll let her go. No one has to get hurt." Jenni said calmly. Boreas sat back in his chair, as if the power of her voice was too much to bare without back support. The winds calmed. Even Khione fidgeted less.

"You do not understand." Boreas said.

"Then help us, please." Jenni's voice was unwaveringly calm. Warmth attacked the chill in Percy's bones.

"You do not seek any of my family. I am god of the north winds, not of the north. That title has not been claimed since this age began."

"This age? You mean we are looking for a son of a Titan?" Percy asked.

"To find the one you seek, you must go to Halifax, Nova Scotia."

"Release me!" Khione yelled. The winds began to spin faster again.

"Is that all, lord Boreas?" Jenni asked with a smile. The winds slowed. Percy was awed. This girl was incredible. How could she remain so composed, so focused, and so powerful?

"When you get there, I would not recommend approaching from the air." The god was stone-faced.

"That's it?" Dax yelled.

"Be thankful you got even that, you ungrateful Mutt." Boreas said, "Now get out!"

The winds buffeted them. Percy had to take a few steps backward.

In the confusion, Khione momentarily freed herself from Dax. She swept her hand at Jenni. Snow flew around Jenni's legs and froze her in place.

"Dax!" Jenni called out in surprise.

"Now, you will watch the girl pay for your mistake." Khione said.

Dax yelled, and for a moment his whole body glowed green along with his sword. In that second, Percy knew what was going to happen, and got ready to run.

The glowing blade punctured the snow goddess' stomach. A surprised cry escaped Khione's lips. She doubled over, and fell to the floor. Her hand came away from her belly dripping golden ichor.

"Impossible," Khione said, "You couldn't – I can't – I feel… cold."

Khione dissolved into a million snowflakes. Instantly, the mist in the room evaporated. Jenni's legs were freed. Everyone but Percy, including Boreas, wore expressions of pure shock. Percy grabbed his two friends by the arms.

"Run. Now." Percy said. He took off, dragging them both behind him. In only a few steps, Dax and Jenni recovered and were sprinting towards the end of the room.

"I don't have much power left, but I have enough. YOU WILL PAY!" Boreas cried so loud the room shook. Massive icicles fell from the ceiling and shattered.

At the doorway, Percy paused glanced behind him. At Boreas' end of the room, the snow on the floor rose up into a wave that hurtled towards them, gaining size and speed with every foot.

"Avalanche! Faster! Faster!" Percy urged.

He willed his legs to carry him as fast as physically possible. They flew down the hallway. At the same time they reached the stairs, the avalanche slammed into the throne room's far wall. The hotel screeched, and a colossal crunch echoed down the hallway. The snow shot down the corridor like a canon.

The concussion wave knocked Percy forward into Dax, who stumbled forward onto the stairs. He fell and rolled down to the base.

"Dax!" Jenni cried as she ran down the stairs.

Dax slowly got to his feet. Jenni and Percy barreled into him and picked him up without stopping. Thankfully, Annabeth and the others heard the commotion and were ready. The Marathon was rising slowly towards the hole in the roof. The rope ladder hung down waiting for the three of them.

Jenni and Percy closed the gap as snow started to tumble down the staircase. With one arm on Dax, they each grabbed the side of the ladder and twisted it into a solid grip.

"Annabeth! Someone! Up, up, up! Faster!" Percy yelled.

The Marathon jolted and rose faster. Snow exploded violently out of the hallway, widening it by twenty feet. The three dangling heroes were covered in seconds, but they held on. Percy felt himself being dragged through feet of snow. His arms burned. He spit out snow and cried out.

In seconds they were free of the avalanche and gliding through open air. Percy breathed a sigh of relief.

Annabeth poked her head over the side, "What in Hades did you do?" She crossed her arms like she was scolding a toddler.

"Wonder Boy did it." Percy said with a weak smile.

"My bad." Dax grumbled. Jenni laughed.

Jack appeared next to Annabeth and together they hauled their friends to the deck.

The feigned anger in Annabeth's eyes melted into concern. "Thank the gods you're alright," She threw her arms around Percy.

"Despite our best efforts." Percy said with a laugh.

He turned and looked over the railing. Below the ship, the hotel was shrinking from view. Through the roof opening, he could see the penthouse was almost half-full with snow. If the others onboard the Marathon hadn't reacted so fast, Boreas would have gotten his wish.

The other half of the hotel's tower, where the throne room was, was destroyed. The two corner walls were completely blown out and snow poured down the side of the building. Percy wondered how the mortals were going to explain that. Then again, this was Canada. They would probably chalk it up to a freak storm or rogue moose invasion and go on without giving it a second thought.


	3. That's When I Knew

**A/N: Hey guys. This turned out to be one of my favorite chapters to write. I hope you enjoy!**

**That's When I Knew**

Annabeth was nervous. No, she was scared and very, very anxious. She hated not knowing, not understanding what they were getting themselves into. After been friends with Percy for years, Annabeth had been forced to adapt to a lot of unpredictable situations. Still, this quest didn't sit well with her. They were going to have to trust whoever this "son of the north" is, as well as the girl Jason's team find in Brazil.

A prophecy had never been left so open before. How could they prepare themselves if they didn't even know the whole thing?

Annabeth stamped her foot in frustration. She took a deep breath to calm herself. _Relax_. She couldn't let herself freak out about things out of her control. Go with the flow.

Fresh air. That will help. Maybe enough for her to get some sleep.

Percy was deep in a drool-inducing sleep, so Annabeth had been easily able to sneak out of their room without waking him. Let Percy grab any peace and rest he could. He earned it.

Well, they all had earned it, at least three times over. What's the harm in saving the world one more time?

_A whole lot._

Annabeth was so deep in thought she was barely registering her surroundings. She didn't even realize she was out on the deck until she banged the side of her hip on the mast.

"Ow." Annabeth said to no one as she rubbed her hip.

"Hey!" A voice called from above.

Annabeth looked up, but couldn't see anything in the darkness. Squinting, she caught a flash of white. "Skylar?"

"Yeah! I'm on watch. Couldn't sleep?" The other girl called back down.

"Not a wink." Annabeth replied glumly.

"Well then come up here and hang out. It's dreadfully boring all by myself." Skylar said.

Despite the cold, despite their quest, Skylar's voice was full to the brim with her unique warmth. Annabeth closed her eyes and let that warmth soak through her, from her ears down to her toes. Annabeth took a deep breath. She was reminded of how far she and Percy had come, how much they had changed. It wasn't like the old days, with just the two of them, and sometimes Grover or Thalia, running off on quests. Annabeth could – needed to – lean on their other friends too.

_Together, together, we can do this. _

"Coming!" Annabeth called back.

With renewed energy, Annabeth scampered up the ladder to the Crow's Nest, where Skylar was waiting with a big smile.

"Bad dream?" Skylar asked. Her white hair sparkled in the glow of the stars.

"No, my mind has just been flying off the handle at night recently. It's almost impossible to settle down." Annabeth said.

"I understand," Skylar replied, "Then let's talk about something else. Pretend we are watching Mean Girls on your cabin's couch."

Annabeth smiled, "Unfortunately, we are all out of popcorn."

"I'll live. So tell me! Percy, I want all the details." Skylar's smile turned mischievous.

Annabeth's smile broadened. She couldn't imagine the day that even the thought of Percy wouldn't be able to make her smile. "What do you want to know?"

"The beginning. It's always the cutest part. The teasing. The awkwardness. The fighting. I love it." Annabeth was surprised that Skylar didn't squel.

"Are you sure you're not an Aphrodite girl?" They both laughed, "I don't think that _cute_ is the word I would use to describe Percy and I when we were twelve. Looking back at it, I don't see a way that we couldn't have fallen for each other. I mean, we were inseparable by necessity. Aside from a few close friends, there was no one I trusted more, no one who knew as much about me as Percy."

Annabeth didn't know who's smile was bigger, hers or Skylar's. "When did you know?" Skylar asked.

"I think – I think I consciously accepted it three summers ago. I was kidnapped by Atlas and held at Mount Othrys in Frisco. Percy snuck out of camp to join the group that was coming to rescue me. When they found me, Atlas almost killed all of us. Percy took the burden of holding up the sky so that Lady Artemis could fight the Titan. He held it until they tricked Atlas into taking it again. He was fifteen! That's when I knew we were never leaving each other. It took him a lot longer."

"That's incredible. The two of you are incredible. All of your stories and achievements… they should write books about you guys!" Skylar cried.

Annabeth laughed. Books were pretty close to permanent. They were a legacy, but not necessarily the one Annabeth wanted to leave. Lauding achievements were never her style, nor Percy's. They weren't special, they were just survivors. They were scared, cornered kids who refused to give up or fail. Anyone could do that.

"Stop that. Look at you, look at all of us! Do you think Percy and I would be here today if it wasn't for every one of you guys, all the other demigods? No shot." Annabeth said back, "Leo built the Argo II, Nico led them through the House of Hades, you saved me and Percy at the Parthenon, Ryder gave up everything for us."

The smile suddenly retreated from Annabeth's lips. Talking about Ryder had become almost taboo. It was still an open wound, especially for his old friends.

Ryder's sacrifice was unimaginable to Annabeth. Giving up his mortal life, and then his afterlife, to save the world? Annabeth didn't know if she would have had the courage. It wasn't fair.

Skylar's own smile faded, but not all the way. "I'm sorry. I know –" Annabeth started to apollgize but Skylar waved her off.

"No, it's okay. It sucks, it really does, but I've accepted that he's gone and never coming back." Skylar didn't say anything more for a few minutes. She stared out at the sky.

Annabeth took that time to look around. This swath of Canada remained unblemished by the twenty-first century. Annabeth could count on one hand how many lights she could see below the ship. As a result, the night sky was littered with bright stars. The stars that Bob would never see. Annabeth felt courage drive the fear and sadness out of her. They had to succeed in this quest. No one else was going to die to preserve their world. It wasn't fair, but maybe they can make it better.

"I'm really worried about him." Skylar finally broke the silence.

"Jack?"

"Well, yes, but mainly Dax. Dax gets mad instead of angry, so he doesn't deal with being afraid well at all. But that's what he is right now. He's terrified. Terrified of losing anyone else, especially Jenni. If anything happened to her, I think he might just explode. Ryder… it rattled Dax to his core."

For the first time, Annabeth saw a deep sadness in Skylar's eyes.

"He's always been rash, but now he's gone kind of crazy. He just attacked a goddess with every intention of killing her! He's going to get someone killed." Skylar seemed exasperated, like she had had this argument with Jack more than once without getting the result she wanted, "I don't know how to prove to him that it's okay to be afraid and that Jenni will be safe without a 24/7 bodyguard."

"Me neither." Annabeth said softly.

There weren't any words that fit into the space between the two girls, but silence is fluid, and it contoured itself to drape over them.

"So you and Jack, let me hear the details." Annabeth said.

Some color returned to Skylar's cheeks. The edges of her mouth crept upwards. "Thanks. We met here, on the ship. I don't really know. We just have a strange effect on each other. He gets a little shy around me, which is super adorable. Jack makes my heart leap a little bit. His energy is so contagious and infectious, I can't get enough. We balance each other."

"Balance. I like that," Annabeth smiled again, "That's why opposites attract. It's like a see-saw. Only the perfect weight will keep the see-saw perfectly balanced. Two people need complimenting pieces in order to balance each other."

Skylar laughed loudly. "Sorry, I really like that. It's just I thought that you Athena kids were supposed to have your nose stuck in a book too often to know how the heart works."

Annabeth tried to fake looking offended. "Hey! I leave the library sometimes."

"Only to see Percy!" Skylar teased.

"And to save the world. You'd be surprised how much you can learn doing that a few times." Annabeth said.

Skylar laughed.

Annabeth realized she didn't need to push all the anxious thoughts about the quest out of her mind. She could let them float around her consciousness, but she didn't have to overthink them. Thoughts only had power over her if she let them.

That's when Annabeth knew that everything was going to work exactly the way it was supposed to, regardless of how much she thought about, and that was okay by her.

* * *

><p>A deep breath involuntarily escaped her lips. There was nothing she wanted to do less than open this door and deal the issue on the other side, but she had to, mainly because she was the only one awake, and something had to be done before the next step in the quest.<p>

She knocked softly.

"Come in." A voice called back. She heard no grogginess. He hadn't slept either.

Annabeth opened the door quietly and slipped into the room. Dax was laying on his still made bed throwing a tennis ball up and down to himself.

"I've been waiting all night." Dax said without looking at her.

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble for me." Annabeth replied with a smirk.

Dax ignored her attempt at a joke. "Someone had to come talk to me about today. It's written all over all of your faces. You think I've gone off the deep end."

"I'm not saying any of that. I couldn't sleep and wanted to see if you wanted to talk about anything. Today was stressful." Annabeth said. She sat down on the foot of his bed.

"Don't patronize me." The tennis ball his the ceiling and fell back down.

"I'm not. I'm your sister. That's what family does." Annabeth hadn't really thought about Dax as her brother much. He was much more Percy's sibling than her's. Just then, she became fully aware of it, and that she meant every word she just said. This conversation was bigger than just the quest.

"What do you want to talk about?" Dax's voice was still edgy.

"You," Annabeth was quickly getting tired of this game, "Are you okay?"

"That's such a loaded question."

"That's the point!" Annabeth slapped the tennis ball across the room, "Look at me!"

Dax laid motionless for a few seconds before slowly sitting up. He turned to face Annabeth. His expression was unreadable. He pointed at the still rolling tennis ball. "That wasn't very nice."

"Neither is stabbing a goddess." Annabeth said smugly. She crossed her arms.

"What would you have done? Huh?" Dax stood up, "Let her kill us? We were cornered! We were in a bad situation and I reacted. I got us out."

"The ends can't always justify the means, Dax. You also almost got you and Percy and _Jenni _killed in the process."

"I was protecting her!" Dax was mad now.

"By putting her in more danger?"

Dax clenched his fists, trying not to let his anger boil over. This wasn't the Dax that Annabeth needed to talk to. She had to break through the shell of anger to make any real progress.

"I get it. It was a split second decision in the heat of the moment. But it's your whole attitude. You've gotten jumpy, and really overprotective of Jenni."

"So I shouldn't try to protect my girlfriend?" Dax deflected.

"No, but you weren't like this at Olympus. And Jenni is way stronger now than she was then. She and Skylar are doing great in training. What's changed?" Annabeth kept her voice soft.

"Nothing!"

Annabeth stood up and got in Dax's face. She could see the water in his eyes trembling. She was so close.

"I don't believe you."

Dax was shaking now. He couldn't hold his emotions in for much longer.

Annabeth placed a hand lightly on his elbow. "Dax, let it happen."

He held on for a few more seconds before breaking. Then the floodgates opened. Tears streamed down Dax's cheeks. His body shook even more violently. Annabeth drew him into a hug. Dax held on tight enough that a tornado couldn't rip him off her. They stood there silently for what felt like hours to Annabeth. But she didn't complain, she didn't try to move. She had to wait until Dax was ready.

Eventually, Dax pulled back and dried his face with his shirt. His eyes were puffy and red. They sat back down on the bed.

"Annabeth, I can't lose her. I can't lose anyone else. We fight so hard. I can't let it all be in vain. I won't let anyone else sacrifice themselves for me." Dax's voice was barely audible.

"You won't. Dax I need you to believe me. We are all coming home after this."

"You can't promise me that. After Ryder… I lost the faith that everything will work out."

"No one will let anything happen to her, or you, or me, or anyone. You have to trust me. You have to trust Jenni. You have to trust all of us. Because if you don't, you're going to pull a stunt like today, and someone is going to get hurt. You won't be able to live with that."

Annabeth let that sink in. Dax winced at the prospect of him being the reason that Jenni would get hurt.

"You're right. I know you're right. It's just so hard." Dax choked out.

"I know, but sometimes you have to yield. Sometimes you have to step back and relinquish a little control. Percy had to give Luke the knife to kill Kronos. He had to let me burn through Rome on my own. It's hard, it really is, but I promise it gets easier." Annabeth pulled Dax into another hug.

"Thank you." Dax said sleepily.

Dax went limp in her arms. That kind of emotional release was exhausting, and Dax was sleep-deprived as it was. Annabeth gently laid him down and tucked him into bed.

Annabeth smiled down at her sleeping brother. He looked so peaceful.

Just like Percy had his Achilles' spot despite his otherwise unbeatable invincibility, everyone had a vulnerable spot. It was impossible to be totally invincible. That's why they had a team. Annabeth took the knife to protect Percy. They would all step up to protect Dax.


	4. We Fight Frosty the Snowman

**A/N: Don't worry, we'll be rejoining our other friends shortly. Enjoy and please review about what you think about the story moving forward. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks!**

**We Fight Frosty the Snowman**

The Marathon hovered patiently over the edge of the forest. Where the trees ended, undisturbed snow stretched for miles. In the distance on the river bank, Percy could see the sprawl of Halifax, only now beginning its day, but his eyes barely lingered on it. In front of them rose a solitary structure, a castle, which appeared to be built from solid ice. The ice was unblemished and completely transparent, but it was so thick it distorted whatever it hid. At the castle's base, there was a gap in the ice. Percy could make out a spiral staircase winding upward into the depths of the castle. That was their target.

"I'd bet this is the place." Dax said.

"It looks like the castle from _Frozen_, kind of." Jack said.

"You've seen _Frozen_?" Skylar asked.

"Like six times. I love it." Jack said shamelessly.

"I've never see it." Skylar admitted.

"Are you kidding? Alright, We'll sit this one out and put it on." Jack said happily.

"Not so fast, Jack." Dax said with a smirk. "We're all going this time. We have no idea what's down there."

Annabeth scrunched her eyebrows. "Who's going to watch the ship?"

Dax walked over to the control panel and pushed a big green button. Machines inside the panel began to whir noisily. Two panels slid apart, revealing a shallow opening. Dax reached his hand and produced two small cube, both of which fit in his palm. He hit a button on each one and threw them on the deck. Before they even hit the ground, the cubes began to shift and expand. In less than a minute, two four foot tall robots stood in the middle of their group.

"You guys remember Reggie and Charlie?" Dax asked, "They can pilot and defend the ship."

"They don't look like much." Jack said.

Percy had to agree. They reminded Percy of the hobbits from Lord of the Rings, but with more metal. The only difference between the bots was that one was painted green and the other red. The green one, Reggie, had a frowny face and the red one, Charlie, had a happy face.

Jack reached out and poked Charlie. Immediately it's near hand reconfigured into a dagger and the other into a blowtorch. Charlie puffed a small flame towards Jack.

"_DANGER! DANGER_!" It blurted.

"The cow goes moo!" Reggie added while the bots sized up Jack.

"Threat level… minimal." Charlie said.

"Hey!" Jack cried.

Skylar put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Jack. It's designed to detect _monster_ threats."

If that came out of anyone's mouth but Skylar's, it would have been patronizing.

"I was just kidding." Jack forced a laugh, "I'm not actually offended."

Jack shifted uneasily, his ego still a little wounded. Percy held back laughter. Dax's smirk told him his brother had to do the same.

"Anyway…" Annabeth clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. Gears audibly wound as even the robots listened to her. "How do we get there?" She pointed at the castle of ice.

"Right. _I would not recommend approaching from the air_. Stupid, cryptic gods." Jack muttered.

"Well that one's easy." Dax said as his hands danced across the control panel.

Three more black cubes appeared in his hand. He threw them to the deck. They went through the same metamorphosis process as Reggie and Charlie until three sleek snowmobiles sat on the deck.

"Gassed up and ready to go." Dax smiled like a kid in the candy store.

"What are these super cubes and can we use them for food?" Percy asked.

"Genius." Jack agreed. Annabeth and Skylar rolled their eyes.

"Let's get this over with then. I want hot chocolate and movie night." Jenni said. Skylar nearly swooned at the idea.

Jenni had been so quiet Percy had forgotten she was there. She was still a mystery to him. Some days, she was the brave girl with the penetrating voice, and other times she was as quiet as a mouse. Percy didn't even know if it was a mood thing or not. Maybe wielding that much power with your voice taught her the importance of not being wasteful with it.

Jenni walked over and sat on the snowmobile's seat. "Are you coming?"

Quickly, the other heroes mounted their metal beasts and hit the ignition. The engines purred to life and the whole snowmobile vibrated a little bit.

Percy looked at Dax. His brother's eyes were lit up like an eight-year-old who woke up early on Christmas morning. He revved the engine a few times, his smile growing with the engine's noise.

"Maybe Jenni should drive…" Percy said.

"Sorry, but no." Dax said without tearing his eyes away from his gas-fueled sled. "I've been waiting for this since we built them.

Without another word, Dax depressed the accelerator and flew off the deck – into empty air. The Marathon had to be fifty feet off the ground.

"Is he crazy?" Percy said.

"Yup." Jack said and then shot after him. Skylar screamed with excitement as they left the deck.

"Fine." Percy said.

Suppressing his fear and rational thinking, Percy floored the accelerator.

"This is so not going to work!" Annabeth yelled as their snowmobile entered flight.

Percy's stomach fell out when the deck did. Immediately, they begin to plummet rapidly towards almost certain death. Percy's instinctual fear of heights made him start to panic.

"Percy, do something!" Annabeth yelled over the wind.

They only had a few seconds of airtime until _splat_. Percy quickly scanned the console and found nothing useful, so he decided on his go-to contingency plan: Hit buttons until something happens.

His hands flew across the steering wheel and console. Tiny windshield wipers sprayed and wiped the small visor in front of him. The air conditioning turned on. Why Dax would install A/C in an open-topped, cold-weather vehicle was beyond Percy. Eventually, his hand found a handhold that resembled what movie pilots pulled for ejection. It was probably their only chance. Hopefully they wouldn't be catapulted into the stratosphere.

Percy yanked.

The snowmobile jerked in the air as the bottom of the skis exploded. Giant airbags popped out of the bottoms and began to fill, until the snowmobile was falling on top of a twenty-foot, inflatable, orange pillow.

This was still going to hurt a lot.

"Hold on!" Percy yelled. Annabeth tightened her grip on his waist and buried her face in his back.

Percy tensed for the impact that he now couldn't see coming. He flexed his jaw. How was he supposed to avoid a concussion? Keep his teeth together or apa–

THUMP!

Their air bag connected heavily with the snow-covered ground. The snowmobile sank into it and after a painfully long second of anticipation, rocketed upwards. The snowmobile was still connected to the air bag, so it didn't get very far. Percy and Annabeth, on the other hand, were tossed into the air like ragdolls. Percy let go of Annabeth. Landing on top of each would only make their injuries worse.

Annabeth landed in the middle of the air bag softly. She bounced a few times, but seemed unhurt. Percy wasn't so lucky. He landed on the edge of the air bag and his momentum launched him into the air again, only to finally land on the ground. The snow was not as soft as Percy expected.

"Ow." Percy groaned. His teeth felt like someone had rattled them around in a blender and then put back in his mouth.

Percy sat up and leaned against the air bag. Dax stood over him.

"You were supposed to extend the wings." Dax said like a disappointed parent. He pointed at the air bag, "That's for landing on water."

"I didn't exactly get a chance to look at the YouTube tutorial." Percy said.

Dax climbed onto the air bag and hit a button on the snowmobile. The air bag deflated suddenly. Percy, not realizing what was going to happen, was caught off guard. He fell roughly backwards.

"Thanks for the warning." Percy groaned.

Annabeth walked over to him. "C'mon, Seaweed Brain." She extended her hand and pulled Percy to his feet.

"Come on, drama queens!" Jack cried before taking off towards the castle.

Dax ran back to his snowmobile and went after him.

"Do you want me to drive?" Annabeth joked.

"Ha ha."

They remounted the snowmobile. Percy looked at the console in case they needed to do some fancy maneuvering. Under the steering wheel was a little black button with wings on it. Percy pressed it. Wings started to extend from the sides of the snowmobile. He pressed the button again and they retracted.

"That could have been useful." Annabeth said. Percy could feel her smile into his shoulder.

"No kidding."

On the steering wheel was a bright red button that screamed _FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY_! The other two motorized sleds were well ahead of them. Percy mentally shrugged. What could possibly go wrong?

Percy didn't regret hitting the red button. What he did regret was screaming like a seven-year-old girl when that button turned out to be the turbo button. The snowmobile shot across the snow like they were fired from the barrel of a tank.

Annabeth and Percy didn't do anything but hang on and scream as they rocketed forward, catching and passing their friends in a matter of seconds. Percy, in his panicked death grip, hadn't even let go of the turbo button. As the initial wave of panic subsided, Percy regained control of his body and turned off Need for Speed mode.

As they approached normal speed, Percy was able to breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't need any more heart attacks on this trip.

They were only about a half of a mile from the castle now. Percy's jaw dropped at its sheer size. At least twenty stories tall, the castle could easily house all of Camp Half-Blood. The morning sun reflected brilliantly off of the ice. The walls and contours looked like they were designed by a world renowned sculptor and built with the world's largest 3D printer. It was, in essence –

"It's perfect." Annabeth said almost instinctually. Yep, that's the word. As an architect, Annabeth was on a whole different level of appreciating the castle than Percy.

Then the snowmobile ran into some obstacle neither of its occupants had seen and flipped over itself. Percy and Annabeth were thrown forward heavily into the snow.

"I'm getting really, really sick of this." Percy grumbled.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled.

There was no anger in her voice, only worry. That flip was no accident.

In a flash, Percy was on his feet with Riptide drawn. Annabeth was next to him, her white, drakon-bone sword in hand. Where Percy assumed the obstacle that caused there crash had been, the snow was drawing itself together into the shape of human, but much larger. In only a few seconds, a ten foot tall, abominable snowman stood.

"Boreas is a filthy liar." Percy said through clenched teeth.

"Something worse could be in the air." Annabeth said.

"Or it was a trap."

"No, we never fall for those."

Percy involuntarily smiled. The nervous anxiety that filled him in front of this new enemy dissipated. As if a big ball of snow could beat him and Annabeth. No one could beat Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase together. Percy's smile broadened.

"Bring it on, Frosty!" Percy taunted.

Frosty looked them both over for a few seconds. It didn't have eyes, only eye sockets, so Percy didn't know what their new friend was looking at. Then Frosty roared and clomped towards them. Behind the creature, snow was gathering together to form more battle snowmen.

"Incoming!" Dax's voice called from behind Percy.

Without thinking, Percy grabbed Annabeth around the waist and leapt as far as he could to the right. They landed heavily in the snow.

Where they had just been standing, Dax's snowmobile cruised through with a newly attached plow. Percy shook his head. Dax put so much effort into these impressive gadgets as if the heroes weren't going to trash them.

Dax rammed Frosty in the leg, and the monster's leg disintegrated. Frosty toppled forward with a thud, then tried to get up.

Percy ran forward. He raised Eiptide and stabbed Frosty in the center of his body. At first nothing happened. Could a monster made of snow and ice disintegrate? It should be the same concept of storm spirits. If Percy could stab wind, then he could stab snow. When he thought about it like that, the whole thing sounded ridiculous.

Frosty whimpered, like a delayed reaction to the stabbing, and then disintegrated into golden snow-dust. Mystery solved.

Behind Frosty, at least twenty more snowmen had finished forming. Percy couldn't tell if there were more behind them.

Six arrows flew over Percy's head and impaled the nearest Frosty. He immediately disintegrated. Another stepped up to take its place. _At least they're easy to kill_.

Frosties 3 through 8 disintegrated under plows and treads. 9, 10, and 11 fell to arrows. Skylar tricked 12 and 13 into killing each other.

There was never any real danger, until Frosty number 20. This Frosty was as tall as an eighteen wheeler, wore armor, and wielded a six foot long sword made of ice. Of course, a fresh wave of ten more normal Frosties joined him.

"We shouldn't get the snowmobiles too close to the big one." Annabeth said.

"Yeah. Let's spread out, they are super slow." Jenni said.

"Slow," Jack said, as if deeply pondering the word, "I can work with slow."

Then he took off at super speed, slashing at the snow giants' legs and arms.

"I think that's our cue." Percy said and ran right at the warrior snowman.

The battle became a blur. Percy ran, spun, and slashed his way through Frosty after Frosty, but the tide never ended. At first, no one dealt with Big Frosty head on. Jack hit him with arrows. Dax would slash him in the back of the legs and run away. Percy knew that killing him would end this fight. In his gut he knew it.

Frosty 65, or so it seemed, fell to Riptide, and then Percy was face to face with the warrior. Percy gulped. This close, the ice sword was much more intimidating. This was not going to be easy.

Big Frosty attacked first. Percy rolled under the swipe and stabbed the monster in the leg. Unfazed, Big Frosty kicked Percy and sent him sprawling ten feet away. Quicker than his brethren, Big Frosty lumbered forward and tried to finish Percy off.

Percy dove out of the way just in time. The ice sword stabbed two feet into the ground. Percy did not want to see what that would do to a body.

This was not an enemy he could take on his own. Big Frosty was simply too big, and too armored for him to do any real damage one on one.

Percy scanned the battlefield. Dax was ten feet from the backside of Big Frosty. He disintegrated another snow monster.

"Dax!" The other boy turned around. Percy dodged another attack, "Help me out over here!"

Dax took a second to gauge the rest of the battle. His eyes went wide, and he stopped in his tracks. Percy followed his gaze. Jenni and Skylar were fighting back to back, taking on six or seven Frosties. Jack was running around as usual. Annabeth was fighting towards the pair.

Dax took one step towards Jenni. "Dax!" Percy yelled.

Jenni was in danger. It was fair for Dax to be concerned. But Percy was in way more danger! Skylar and Jenni could handle themselves, and Annabeth was right there. Dax had to let it go. He had to let her take care of herself.

Percy rolled under the ice sword, stabbed Big Frosty, and jumped to avoid being kicked again.

"Dax, I need you!"

Dax looked back and forth between Jenni and Percy. Annabeth had told Percy about her conversation with Dax the night before. Annabeth seemed to think that she had made a breakthrough. This was the test.

Big Frosty came at Percy again, but this time he cut off the angle. Percy brought up his sword and blocked the next attack. The sheer force behind the blow knocked Percy over backwards. He rolled backward to avoid the death blow.

"Dax! Please!" Percy's voice cracked. Charmspeak would be fantastic right now.

Dax looked away from Percy again, but not at Jenni. He looked at Annabeth, then Percy, and then Annabeth again. Dax swallowed. He seemed to have realized something in that moment. Maybe he saw Annabeth and Percy fighting separately, trusting each other to be safe. Maybe he saw Annabeth going to Jenni's rescue. Percy didn't care what made Dax do it. Percy only cared that Dax ran forward and plunged _In Memorium_ hilt-deep into the back of Big Frosty's leg.

Big Frosty cried out in surprise and swung around. Dax ducked the ice sword, rolled to the side, and attacked the other leg.

Percy ran forward and jumped into the air. Riptide came up and cut right through the oversized snowball that was the monster's hand. The ice sword fell to the ground and disintegrated.

Dax stabbed the monster's leg again. Big Frosty fell to one knee. "You learn that trick from me?"

"You wish." Percy used the outstretched knee as a springboard and jumped up. Riptide sliced through Big Frosty's army and the monster disintegrated.

Now six feet off the ground with too much forward momentum, Percy tumbled forward and fell face first into the snow.

He jumped to his feet, ready for another attack, but none came. The other Frosties all disintegrated. Percy's shoulders slumped in relief.

Percy turned to his brother. "Nice job. Thanks, bro." Percy extended his fist.

Dax fist-bumped him. "Anytime. Thank you."

But Dax wasn't looking at him, he wasn't thanking Percy. Percy turned to see Annabeth walk up behind him. She smiled knowingly. Again, Percy didn't care. They were alive.

"Let's go meet our new friend and thank him for these great toys we got to play with." Jack came to a skidding stop next to Dax. "It might turn out to be _friends_! I'm just nauseous with excitement."

They all laughed a little bit at his sarcasm, but it was forced. That ice was hiding something, something with an ugly side.

Percy turned around and reexamined the beautiful ice castle, which all of a sudden seemed to tower ominously over them.


	5. Winks and Drinks

**A/N: Sorry for a bit of a cliffhanger. Time to check in on our other heroes. Thanks for reading and enjoy!**

**Winks and Drinks**

The wind whipped through Piper's hair as she stood at the bow of the _Hephaestus_. The boys were below deck playing some video game that Keenan had rigged. Jason called it PercyBall or something like that. Piper had a feeling that Percy would not enjoy the game.

So she had gladly taken Frank's watch. The day was too beautiful to miss even a minute of it.

There wasn't a cloud in the deep blue sky. The sun beat down, but Piper didn't mind the extra heat. After only a few hours, she could see a hint of bronze creep into her skin. Piper never got sunburned with her Native American genes.

By their standards, the trip had been remarkably quiet so far. Jason had dispatched a group of ambitious storm spirits off the coast of Florida. A few nosey gryphons were dealt with over Cuba. But that was it. _It couldn't possibly last_. Piper fought to suppress the pessimism that threatened to ruin her mood.

"Hey Piper!"

Hazel skipped over to stand next to her.

"What's up, Hazel?"

Hazel looked about as happy as Piper felt, which was good. Piper knew that Hazel was having a rough time just before they embarked on the quest. The space that Leo left in their little group was still weird and present. Then Nico disappeared without a word and never came back. Hazel was clearly very worried about him.

Piper wished she and Hazel were better friends. Piper grew so close to Annabeth during the war with Gaea that she hadn't really reached out to be super close with Hazel. She felt bad. Every girl needed girlfriends.

"Nothing. Just kind of bored. They always play that stupid game."

"At least it's a gorgeous day to be bored." Piper said.

Hazel seemed to be watching the ocean whip by below them instead of the sky. "What do you think the others are doing right now?"

"The boys are probably arguing about their favorite food while their girlfriends second guess their relationships." Piper said with a grin.

Hazel laughed. "Or the girls are rescuing them from some monster den they fell into."

"While still second guessing their relationships."

The girls stood there enjoying the sun and joking for close to an hour when they spotted land.

"Venezuela." Piper said.

The ship rapidly closed the distance to the coast of South America. Luscious green rain forests spread out behind the beach as far as Piper could see. The beach appeared to be abandoned.

"Should we get the boys?" Hazel asked.

"Let them have their fun. We'll be busy enough soon." Piper answered.

The closer they got to the beach the hotter the sun seemed to get. In minutes the girls were sweating profusely.

"This is so not normal." Piper commented.

"Monster?" Hazel asked.

"I'm not sure."

By now they were close enough to the beach to make out timber that had washed ashore from shipwrecks. There was no sign of civilization in sight.

"Whoa, are we slowing down?" Hazel asked.

Piper hadn't been paying attention, but Hazel was right. The _Hephaestus_ was coming to a slow stop right over the beach. The boys apparently didn't even notice, because none of them came running up to see what was going on. Probably too wrapped up in their video game. Typical.

"Come over here." Hazel called.

Piper walked to the other side of the bow. Below them, a guy in a bright yellow bathing suit was sitting in a beach chair. He was holding one of those I'm-asking-for-third-degree-burns tanning mirrors Piper only saw in old movies. The sun reflected off the mirror so intensely she couldn't make out his face.

The man waved and then flicked his wrist. The ladder flew off the deck and cascaded to the beach.

"Weird," Hazel said, "First trap of the quest?"

"I'll get the boys." Piper groaned.

"Wait a second," Hazel said with a smile, "We got this. Girl power."

The girls high-fived and climbed down the ladder to meet their new friend.

"Good afternoon ladies!" The man said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Their new friend got up out of their chair and walked over to Piper and Hazel.

Piper realized he wasn't a man, but more like an early-twenties frat guy. His hair was long and blond. He vaguely reminded Piper of Thor in that new movie, but the similarities ended at his hair. The guy was muscular, but fairly lean and about average height.

He smiled, and Piper had to look away. His teeth shone as brightly as Apollo's.

When Piper looked back, the man had removed his Raybans shades to reveal his eyes. They were a fiery gold. Just like Ryder's. _And Titans'_.

Piper unsheathed Katoptris.

"Who are you?" she asked accusingly.

The man only smiled at her. "Piper Mclean, put that away!" he said it like it was an old joke between them, "You'll be back on your ship in no time. Please, humor me."

He snapped his fingers. A beach chair like his appeared behind each of the girls and a pina colada appeared in their hands.

Their new friend sat back down in his chair and took a sip of his own drink.

"Kick back and enjoy," he said, "I invented that drink."

Piper and Hazel exchanged a glance before sitting down. They both hesitated to drink.

"Don't worry, it's a virgin colada. I assure you." He smiled and Piper had to look away again.

"Okay, I'll bite. You know my name and you know I'm not twenty-one. Who are you?" Piper asked. Her tone was still harsh.

The gold eyes danced back and forth between the girls. Piper let her guard down a little. She had a feeling that if this guy wanted them dead, then they'd already be halfway to Tartarus.

"I'm Helios, god of the Sun." He smiled again, and Piper had to force herself to stare at his eyes.

"No," Hazel said, "Apollo is the sun god."

"Yeah," Piper continued, "You faded."

"I prefer the term retired. Yes, the Romans downsized Selene and me, but I still have a Latin name, Sol. You mortals named your solar system after me."

"I don't understand." Piper said.

"Well, it goes something like this. The Romans and the later Greeks rolled most of my duties over to Apollo, but only the duties. I remained the personification of the sun for them. I am the sun's light. Wherever day is, so am I!"

"And now you sit alone on a Venezuela beach?" Hazel asked.

Helios laughed. "South America is great! They love the sun more than anyone else, and they are way more relaxed than you Americans. More my style. In truth, I was happy to give Apollo most of the responsibilities. Most of the time I like Rio, but I heard your little crew was heading that way. You have a reputation for blowing things up and beating up gods. I'd rather not be in your way. But this beach? I just wanted to chat with you two."

"Okay, before you do your god-thing and give us a really vague hint and maybe ask for a favor, I have one question." Piper said sternly.

Helios laughed again, "Why, Piper Mclean you are bright! That's the highest compliment I can give, you know," the god winked, "Go ahead. Ask away!"

Piper was doing her best to be as serious as possible, but she was finding it incredibly difficult. Helios' presence was too warm, too penetrating. She could sit on this beach and drink pina coladas for hours. He was very similar to Apollo, but a bit in a more carefree and secure way.

"What did you mean when you said it's a pleasure to finally meet you?"

Helios' smile dampened a bit. "Well, you just hit Double Jeopardy there, Piper. Two answers for one question! Firstly, they once called me _Helios Panoptes_. I don't suppose you know what that means."

"All-seeing." Hazel answered.

The god's smile broadened again. "Yes, quite. Well done, Hazel Levesque." Helios paused to examine the girls again, "I see all that the sun touches. As for the other answer. I cannot say much, but you would do well to remember that I am older than the Olympians, except for Aphrodite that is," he winked at Piper again, "There were means to prophecies and seeing the future before Apollo and his Oracle. That job fell to Koios and I, and one other, but we were much more reliable. Anyway, your parents believed that Gaea was the final chapter, as it was before. Sometimes, though, history doesn't repeat itself. Sometimes it finds a new path. But we saw it, Koios and I. Well, at least some of it. I knew the two of you would come, and he knew where the others would go."

Piper thought that sounded pretty ominous, but Helios seemed to still be in good spirits.

"Anyhow!" the god continued, "I have a few words and a gift."

Helios rummaged around in his pocket and produced what looked like a dog whistle. He handed it to Piper, looking pleased with himself.

"Piper, you will know when the time is right to use this. One of your friends will remember the story, I'm sure. Be careful not to blow it too soon though. Sometimes, the hunt is not important because of the kill, but because of where it takes you. But don't blow it too late either, because… well you demigods know even better than I what usually happens then."

Helios grin faded completely. The fire in his eyes dimmed a little.

"And Piper, I would like to thank you."

"For what, sir?" Piper was genuinely curious.

"For being with my brother at the end. He was a fantastic boy." Helios nodded solemnly at Piper.

"Yeah, Ryder was special." Piper replied sadly.

"I hadn't seen him since he was a baby. You see, I was the one who delivered him to Hermes. I didn't want Dad to find him, but no matter. We don't have time to dwell on these things, fortunately or unfortunately. It won't be long now."

"What won't be long?" Hazel asked.

"Oh, Hazel I almost forgot." Helios grew even more serious, "When you see your brother, tell him it will not work. Tell him that nothing can wash away feelings. They will only be renewed again like fresh wounds. Memory is the key."

Helios patted Hazel on the shoulder sympathetically. She looked terribly confused and very scared.

Helios looked at his wrist, where he wore a sundial as a watch. "Oh dear. I must be going. Remember Piper, not too early, and not too late," he winked for what seemed like the hundredth time, "Tell my daughter I said hello and good luck! I'll be watching."

"Who's your daughter?" Piper asked.

"Piper!"

"Hazel!"

The two girls shot to their feet and turned around. Jason, Frank, and Keenan were leaning over the railing.

"What are you guys doing down there?" Frank asked.

Piper stole a look behind her. Helios and his beach chairs were gone. One empty pina colada glass lay on its side in the sand. The sunlight seemed to twinkle off the glass, like Helios was winking at her one last time.

They'd gotten some kind of answer, even if it was incredibly vague. But that last part worried Piper. Helios' daughter?

What had he said? _Wherever day is, so am I_!

They were supposed to rescue a daughter of Day. At least they had an idea of who they were rescuing, maybe. The where, how, and why were still totally up in the air.

_We'll worry about it when we get to Rio._

"We were just –" Piper started.

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence, because a huge form chose that moment to burst out of the surf and onto the beach in front of her.

_If we get to Rio._


	6. We Make Calamari for the Last Time

**A/N: Happy holidays! Thanks for reading and enjoy! Any feedback is greatly appreciated.**

**We Make Calamari for the Last Time**

_If we get to Rio._

Piper didn't have time for more than that one thought before she was moving. Massive tentacles rose out of the water in front of her. One reached up and slammed into the hull of the Hephaestus. A few wooden planks bent but held. The attack thankfully sent the ship rocking out of range of any more damge.

Piper barely had time to register that because another tentacle was rapidly falling towards her and Hazel. They both leapt out of the way. Hazel fell and Piper quickly hoisted her up. They each drew their blades and waited for the next attack.

With a lurch, the monster was halfway out of the surf and onto the beach. Piper almost laughed. After all the misshapen, weird, or otherworldly creatures they had battled, the monster challenging them now was a familiar one. A giant squid, just like the ones every kid in third grade learns about in science class, waved its tentacles at them. The urge to laugh faded after Piper realized how much emphasis her teacher should have placed on _giant_.

Each tentacle had to be over thirty feet long. Suckers were spaced evenly every few feet. A gleaming tooth protruded from each one. Even though the body was still partially submerged, Piper could tell it was so big that she wasn't sure that she and her five companions could encircle it while holding hands.

The squid spread its tentacles, revealing a gaping mouth riddled with row after row of sharp teeth. Piper shivered. She had no intention of experiencing what the world's largest natural blender could do. The stench that floated towards her made her gag, and she was still twenty feet away. The creature emitted a sickening moan and raised some of its tentacles for an attack.

A large black dragon swooped over the squid. It dodged one tentacle, clawed another, and scorched a third with its flame breath. Frank was ready to party.

Jason landed heavily next to Piper.

"Hey, you alight?" he said as he drew his sword.

Piper sent up a silent prayer that Jason and Frank were with her on this trip. Any of their other friends would have been stuck on their ship until it could land, and Piper knew that Keenan would never risk that.

"Fine. That wasn't as close as it looked." Piper replied. She wasn't trying to act tough. Jason worried about her a lot, but he trusted her, which was all Piper really wanted. So she reassured him whenever she could.

"What were you guys doing down here?" Jason asked.

"We'll explain after this is over," Piper gestured towards the squid, who was totally focused on Frank the dragon at the moment, "Speaking of which, how do we kill it?"

"Keenan's getting the ballistae fired up. We have to keep it distracted until then." Jason explained.

"Always the fun jobs. What if the cannons don't kill it?" Jason shot her a look that said: _they better_. "Okay then, let's get distracting."

Piper sprinted towards the squid waving Katroptris in the air. "Hey, you smelly sea monster! Go back to the bottom of the ocean where no one can see how ugly you are!"

The closer Piper got to the squid, the more ridiculous she felt. The monster could easily squish them on the ground. Distracting the squid implied they had another available course of action. They were just trying to stay alive.

Piper rolled to her left to dodge another tentacle strike. The limb landed heavily, kicking sand up into the air. Piper nearly fell from the earth shaking.

Jason fell out of the sky and plunged his sword into the grounded tentacle. The strike didn't seem to hurt the squid as much as it did anger and panic him. The tentacle began writhing furiously. Jason couldn't remove his blade while being whipped around in the air. With a few more thrusts, the squid dislodged Jason, but not his sword. Jason steadied himself in the air, but he was without a weapon. Now he was more of an elusive toy than a threat to the squid.

"This isn't working!" Jason yelled.

"Thanks for the update!" Piper yelled back.

The Fates evidently thought Jason was ungrateful for his misfortune, because they decided to tip the scales farther in favor of their deaths. On either side of the squid, a squadron of thirty telekhines burst out of the surf.

"This was _so_ not in the contract." Hazel muttered as she skidded to a halt next to Piper.

"You signed a contract?" Piper joked, "I don't even get health benefits. All I got is this whistle."

Frank the dragon ignored the squid to help deal with the new threat. Folding his wings, Frank plummeted towards the earth. He landed right in the middle of one monster unit, flattening half of them on impact. He swung his tail and knocked over another five seal demons. A healthy dose of fire breath took care of the rest.

Jason was floating around the squid's arms, doing his best to use the winds to direct tentacles away from Frank and get close enough to retrieve his still embedded sword.

"C'mon Hazel. Frank did that, and he doesn't even have thumbs." Piper prodded.

"I mean flaming breath makes that kind of a wash. Don't you think?"

"Oh, shut up." Piper said through her laughter.

The two girls charged at the other group of telekhines, happy to have an enemy they could handle. As Piper deflected one monster's spear, Hazel stabbed it with her gladius. Piper spun around her and decapitated another.

The Hephaestus' ballista coughed. A missile trailing the green flames of Greek fire flew over Piper's head. It connected with a tentacle and exploded. One half of the limb was sent flying and disintegrated before hitting the ground. The squid screeched. Piper had to resist the urge to cover her ears so she could block another attack.

Three more missiles streaked towards the squid. Two more tentacles were destroyed. The third missile struck the squid just above its red eye. When the smoke cleared, Piper could see the Greek fire had left a large crater in the monster's head.

The squid went into a panic. Its tentacles began to wave madly in the air. Frank was accidently hit in the side and knocked to the ground. The giant squid quickly retreated into the waves, screaming in pain the whole way.

Frank slowly got to his feet and shifted into a bull. With a little help, Piper and Hazel were able to quickly finish off the remaining telekhines.

A quick lift from Jason and Frank had all four heroes back on the deck of the ship in no time.

"Hey Keegs, you might want to fix the ballista so it warms up a bit quicker." Frank said with a laugh. He winced and rubbed his side. Hazel wrapped an arm around his waist.

Keenan looked at the big cannon and frowned. "There's something wrong with the loading belt. Sorry, I'll have it ready soon."

The son of Hephaestus didn't seem to take the joke as insult, but Keenan was still clearly upset with himself. This was the first time Piper had seen something the boy built fail. Keenan held very high expectations of himself.

"Don't worry about it, Connor. You blasted that squid with plenty of time to spare." Piper tried to cheer him up.

Keenan turned back to the group, but the frown was still there. "Still, that was too close of a call for a monster that stupid."

No one disagreed. The first real challenge of the quest nearly knocked the ship out of commission – and the squid wasn't even really part of the quest. The encounter was just bad luck.

"By the way, Piper, we really have to work on your trash talk. Leo would be very disappointed in you." Frank said.

"Well, aren't you full of jokes today, Frank Zhang." Piper replied. That was the closest thing she could think of to a comeback. It was hard to make jokes at Frank – even though Percy seemed adept at it. Frank was too nice, and lately had proven himself more than capable as a valuable asset to the team. Piper continued, "But can we all agree that calamari is off the menu?"

"You really didn't have to ask." Keenan replied dryly.

"I bet Percy would still eat it." Hazel said.

Jason, who was leaning against the railing, looked overboard and his eyes went wide. He spun around. "Keenan. Up! Up! Now!"

Trusting his friend, Keenan ran to the helm. But it was too late. Before his hands were around the steering wheel, two purple tentacles draped themselves over the railings on both sides of the ship. Hazel ran to the side and plunged her blade into the end of one. The tentacle shuddered, but didn't release its grip. If the squid was back, it was furious and bent on revenge. No way would it give up so easily.

"Frank, get in the cannon!" Piper called. Even if Frank, shifted into dragon form, he wouldn't be able to do enough damage fast enough to save the ship. Piper wasn't even sure the ballista could aim at the squid if it was directly under them.

Piper's eyes scoured the deck, looking for anything they could use. Rope – useless. Anchor – too slow and might just make the monster even more mad. Box – useless. _Wait_. Piper ran towards the ballista.

"It's right below us. I can't get an angle!" Frank cried from behind the cannon.

Piper didn't have the time to respond. _ Oh gods, please be in here_. She threw open the box at the base of the ballista. Sure enough, at its bottom sat two glass jars of Greek fire, ready to be mounted on missiles. Piper gently picked one up and spun around.

"Jason!" Piper called and threw the _glass_ jar of undousable fire across the wooden deck. In hindsight, it was definitely not her best idea. Luckily Jason had quick reflexes. Piper wasn't sure if he used the wind to make the catch easier, but it didn't matter. Jason knew what he had to do. As soon as the jar was settled in his hands, he turned and leapt off the deck.

Piper ran to the railing. Like a human rocket, Jason plummeted towards the squid, who, in typical idiotic monster fashion, opened his mouth wide in anticipation of an easy meal. 50 Cent couldn't have missed with his infamous first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

Only feet from the razor teeth, Jason threw the jar of Greek fire down the monster's throat. Using the winds, he propelled himself upward. But that's all Piper saw, because the jar detonated deep inside the squid's maw. The explosion of fire and cloud of smoke hid Jason from her view. The squid shrieked again and finally disintegrated.

The smoke quickly settled, but there was no sign of Jason. The water was still choppy from the concussion blast, but Piper should have been able to make out a floating boyfriend. Her heart started sprinting around her ribcage.

Jason couldn't have gotten hurt. The quest was only just starting. It was a stupid giant squid for Hades sake. How did the great Jason Grace die? At the hands of the Titan Krios? No. Crushed under the foot of the rising Earth Mother? No. Blowing himself up with a giant squid in Venezuela? Bingo.

Piper was about to tell Frank to turn into a sea otter or dolphin or something and go look for Jason when a mop of blonde hair burst through the waves. Jason emerged, breathing heavily. He stayed put, treading water and catching his breath for a few seconds. Still, no one on deck spoke.

Jason stuck one arm into the air. He was clutching the sword that he had accidentally gotten stuck in the squid. He started waving it in the air like he had just won the Stanley Cup.

"I got my sword back!" He called out.

Everyone on board except Piper started to laugh. Piper was going to tell Jason exactly where he could sheath it.


	7. It's All Fun and Games Until

**A/N: Happy new year everyone! Kicking it off with a long chapter to start moving us along. Enjoy!**

**It's All Fun and Games Until...**

Gravel crunched under Jason as he landed softly on the ground. He loosened his grip on Piper's waist and she stepped away from him. With a much louder crunch, Frank the dragon landed next to him. Hazel and Keenan slid off of his back.

The sheer size of the building in front of him made Jason stop in his tracks. The main stadium build for the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro was as massive as it was modern, with sleek dividers between stories and large glass windows showcasing the now deserted grandstands and luxury boxes. Someone could have told Jason this was a modern day temple to the gods, and if Jason didn't know any better, he would have believed them wholeheartedly. _The soccer gods must be incredibly rich_.

Jason looked at the tunnel entrance to the stadium, who's visibly silent, shadowy interior forecasted the eerie emptiness of the stadium it led to. Jason gulped. He really had no idea what was waiting for him at the other end of the title. His best guess was maybe, and he really, really had to emphasize maybe, a daughter of Helios, an allegedly faded god, who was somehow wrapped up in their quest to defeat some mysterious yet definitely evil and world-threatening. Was he emphasizing how little they had to go on enough? Probably not.

"If anyone has any objections as to why this quest should not proceed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Jason muttered.

Piper giggled. "C'mon superman."

The crew of the Hephaestus passed through the dark tunnel into what a few months ago had been a thriving soccer stadium. In the stands, Jason could imagine the tens of thousands of screaming, face-painted fans who had come from all over the world to see their countries' best athletes. Most went home disappointed.

Now, the stands were empty, silent. The field was dried out, the grass was yellow and dead. One goalpost was totally demolished while the other had been tipped onto its side. Around the edges of the field tons of tan sacks were scattered.

Of course, Jason didn't know a lick about soccer. Besides, while Germany was trouncing Brazil earlier in the summer, Jason was clinging to the back of Festus the dragon with Leo and Piper. He had no memory of who he was but was fighting for his life against an unknown enemy and her minions. The only difference now was that Jason had recovered his memories – he subconsciously glanced at Piper with a smile – and made some new ones along the way.

As they walked towards the center of the field, Jason noticed a variety of strange footprints. Each one was at least three times as big as his own foot, but that was the problem. Each "set" of footprints only consisted of one print. It had to be some weird monopedal monster. Jason wasn't sure if that was funny or scary.

Frank and Keenan started kicking a half-flat soccer ball back and forth as they walked. Jason wanted to tell them to stay focused, but he didn't have the heart. He knew they could snap into battle mode at the drop of a coin.

Jason smiled at Hazel. She was staring in awe of the sheer size of the stadium. Jason doubted she'd ever seen a stadium that could hold hundreds of thousands of people back in the forties.

"I'm afraid you all are too late to compete in the games, young heroes," A voice thundered. Jason wondered if some monster had gotten the intercom system working, "Fear not! I have a new game for you."

A rumble echoed out of the central tunnel, only a hundred yards in front of them. A huge form lumbered forward into the arena. The man was at least ten feet tall. Jason had never seen even a picture of anyone so muscular. He had shoulders chiseled like boulders and thighs as thick as tree trucks. Veins and muscles threatened to explode with even the slightest motion.

"And you would be?" Piper called out.

"I am Kratos, god of strength and power." He puffed out his chest proudly.

Kratos wore only the bottom part of a gold tunic, and with good reason. Jason was confident the guy could rip a Kevlar shirt just by waving his arm.

"Aren't you a video game character?" Frank asked.

Kratos roared. "That blasted game is NOTHING! Do you see chains wrapped around my wrists? NO! Huge purple tattoos? NO! Unexplainable face scars? NO!" Kratos had to catch his breath, "The creators of that game took some creative liberties with my appearance, and they failed to capture my strength."

"Doesn't the video-game Kratos end up killing, like, all the gods with his strength?" Keenan piped up.

In response, Kratos growled and turned around. He ripped a school bus sized chuck out of the wall and launched it out of the stadium.

"He was not kidding." Frank said as he tracked the projectile until it went out of sight.

Jason put his hands up in the air. "Whoa, buddy, take it easy with that 'roid rage!"

"Steroids!" the god yelled like if he couldn't believe what he just heard, "I curse anyone who uses those heinous pills, especially you Schwarzenegger! I'm sure you've heard of some of the rather… limiting side-effects." Kratos flashed a wicked smile. Jason made a mental note to make sure Butch was not taking steroids.

"But enough of your stalling!" Kratos boomed, "Let's play!"

His voice echoed powerfully off the stadium walls. The broken goalpost repaired itself while the overturned goal flew back to its normal position. The ball Frank and Keenan were kicking filled to what Jason could only assume was optimal pressure for soccer.

"Soccer?" Hazel said.

"And we play by the rules," Kratos yelled back, "No handballs!"

Their weapons, even the sheathed ones, clattered to the ground. Jason had a feeling they would be stuck there even if they tried to pick them up.

Around the field, what Jason thought were tan sacks of whatever was left over from the Olympics started to move. One prone figure hoped up on its single foot, then another, and before long there were twenty or thirty of them hopping towards Jason. He still didn't know whether to laugh or be very afraid.

"Sciapods," said Frank, "Grandmother told me about them once. Romans discovered them when they traveled to Persia and India."

"Dangerous?" asked Keenan.

As if it wanted to answer his question, the fastest sciapod reached their group. It paused for a moment in front of the soccer ball to curiously examine the demigods. The sciapod was about Jason's height, with a slightly larger head than the average human. Its single leg was wide and muscular. Jason's estimate of the footprints was way off. The monster's foot had to be at least five or six times as big as his own.

The sciapod let out a guttural cry and then blasted the soccer ball at Keenan. The ball connected with his midsection with a painful _THUD_! Keenan fell to one knee, the wind knocked out of him. Jason hoisted him up by the arm and started backing away from the other monsters, who were now hooting and hollering as they closed in.

"Frank!" Jason yelled.

"Way ahead of you," Frank replied as he shifted into an elephant and barreled into the hopping enemies. Piper and Hazel ran after him ducking massive feet and launching kicks of their own. Jason had to stop himself from laughing when Frank sent the one-legged creatures flying. Leo would've been hollering himself at the sounds they were making.

_WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO – CRUNCH_! echoed as a monster soared twenty feet in the air and crashed into what used to be a snack bar. It emerged from the wreckage covered in soda and exploded Twinkies. An upside down popcorn bowl had landed on the poor guy's head. He looked like a very disturbing lamp. Jason couldn't suppress his laughter when it blindly hopped into the side of the arena and fell over.

"Laugh now, demigod," Kratos said as he walked to the center of the field, "But this game will be decided by penalty kicks."

Kratos bent over and ripped up an SUV sized chuck of earth and placed it at his feet. Looking around, Jason realized he and Keenan were standing where a goalie would in front of the net.

"Uh oh," muttered Keenan.

"Dive!" Jason yelled back.

Jason threw Keenan away from the net and then leapt in the other direction. Kratos kicked the homemade ball right where the demigods were just standing. It sailed through the air and demolished the goalpost.

"You demigods need to try harder. Didn't I tell you what the prize is if you win?" The god grinned evilly.

All five heroes surrounded Kratos now. Frank had dispatched the last of their one-legged friends.

Kratos clapped his hands heavily. The stadium rumbled and creaked. The center of the field split open like a gate. A crane's arm lifted a cage out of the hole and deposited it next to the god. Inside the cage was a girl. She had blond hair the color of the sun and deeply tanned skin. Jason didn't really know what a Brazilian girl looked like, but he was pretty confident she was the epitome of it.

"Let me out of here, you traitor!" The girl cried.

"Watch your tongue, girl. The more of that I hear the worse it'll be for you once I dispose of these so-called heroes."

"Kratos the Traitor has a nice ring to it. Don't you think, Hazel?" Piper yelled.

Kratos growled and swung angrily at her. Piper rolled under his fist and ran through his legs towards Jason.

"Oh, yes," Hazel answered, "That would look great on your resume."

"Maybe even better on your tombstone!" Frank added before shifting into a bull.

The god lifted a rock and tossed it at Hazel. Keenan tackled her out of the way with plenty of time to spare. Frank charged Kratos but bounced off the god's leg without doing any real damage.

"How do we beat strength?" Piper asked Jason.

"We can outsmart him." Jason offered.

"No Annabeth or Dax." Piper vetoed.

"We can outrun him." Jason tried again.

"No Jack."

Frank ran over to them, "Hades, feels like this guy is made out of rock. I'll be sore for a week from that one hit."

Jason turned to Piper just in time to see the light bulb go off in her eyes.

"Guys, what beats rock?" Piper asked with a knowing smile.

"Like rock, paper, scissors?" Frank asked. Piper nodded.

"Paper, duh." Frank answered.

"Right!" Piper squealed, "But why?"

"Paper smothers rock. The rock can't do anything." Jason answered.

"Eureka!" Pipe yelled, "Ew, I sounded like Leo. You guys distract him!"

Piper ran towards the center of the field calling for Hazel. Frank shifted into a cheetah and tore at the god. Kratos howled in pain as Frank raked his leg with sharp claws. Frank was too fast for Kratos to smash.

Hazel opened the ground to reveal some kind of tunnel. The two girls leapt into the darkness. Jason wanted to yell _be careful!_ or even better to go with them, but he knew Piper would kick his butt. Piper had come a long way since the Grand Canyon. She was strong, smart, and she was as good of a fighter as any of them now. Jason smiled proudly.

His eyes fixed on the caged girl that Kratos, in his anger, had totally forgotten about. Jason ran towards her. Hopefully the big guy was too focused on Frank and Keenan. Even without his battle axe, Keenan was doing a good job battling the god. He produced little black spheres from his pocket and hurled them at Kratos.  
>The spheres exploded into Celestial Bronze shrapnel, which peppered Kratos and cut gashes in his skin. Little bits of ichor dripped down his arms and chest. After a few seconds of floating in the air, the shrapnel and dust pulled itself back into a black sphere again and returned to Keenan's hand. They were like boomerang grenades. Jason tried a few combinations of those words to make a cool sounding name but came up with nothing. He cursed. Stupid ADHD.<p>

Jason slowed down as he neared the cage.

"Can I get a hand over here?" The girl asked impatiently.

"Okay. Do you know how to open it?" Jason asked.

"If I knew that would I be in here?" The girl glared at Jason.

_Okay, she's impossible. This'll be fun_, Jason thought.

"It's enchanted," she explained, "I can't use my powers inside it."

"Was that so hard to start with?" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Lucky for you, my powers work fine out here. Back away from the bars."

The girl didn't move. _Fine. It's your funeral_.

Jason took a few steps backward and pointed his sword at the cage. Channeling his energy, a bolt of lightning reached down from the sky. The cage deflected the bolt right back at Jason, who was knocked onto his back.

Climbing back to his feet, Jason started to get mad. His chest burned where he was blasted. His armor was charred and smoking. He fixed his eyes on the caged girl.

"Any more bright ideas, Sparky?" She asked innocently.

The hairs along Jason's arms bristled. _The nerve of this girl!_

"You want to play games? Fine," Jason's tone was icy, "But first tell me about the big guy here. Why did you call him a traitor?"

The girl looked at the god who was doing his best to corner Frank the cheetah. "Kratos, the god of strength, is the brother of Nike, Zelos, and Bia. They were the enforcers of Zeus."

"Correct, little bright one." Kratos loomed over them, "But I was not a traitor. Zeus is the traitor. He was slow in the war against Kronos and he trembled when Gaea rose. The gods only survived because of you demigods, the son of a Titan, and that Mutt. I could not stand for such a display!"

"So what's the point of all this?" Jason asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know, son of Jupiter?" Kratos cackled, "The Olympians undervalue strength in favor of backhanded trickery. We will show them the true meaning of both."

"I'm really sick of this guy," the girl said to Jason, "Can you guys get on with whatever it is your plan is?"

Jason didn't answer. Mainly because he didn't know where Piper and Hazel went or what their plan was. He really didn't want to deal with the girl either.

Kratos raised his massive fist. "Zeus, I will show you my strength by destroying your son with it!"

"Jason duck!" Piper's voice called from behind him.

Jason threw himself to the ground as the crane arm swung over his head and collided with Kratos. The god was battered backward. The arm shot forward and clamped around Kratos, pinning one of his arms to his torso.

The god smiled. He waved his free arm in the air. "You missed." Kratos said in a singsong fashion. His free arm began peeling off the crane's clamp like it was made of tissue paper.

"Hazel, now!"

A look of confusion crossed Kratos' face as he freed himself from the clamp. The ground began to collapse beneath his feet. The god fell into the growing hole as a huge cloud of dust billowed up and filled the stadium.

Jason covered his mouth with his shirt, but didn't squeeze his eyes shut in time. The dry dust burned his eyes. Even through clamped lids, tears managed to escape. He started to cough violently.

The murky cloud settled quickly. Jason hesitantly opened his eyes. The five heroes were standing close together. Everyone was covered in a thin layer of dust and dirt. Keenan doubled over in a coughing fit.

"Thanks. These clothes are ruined now." The caged girl commented as she looked herself over.

Jason growled. "Yeah, you're welcome for saving you too."

The girl glared back at him. "I'm still in the cage."

Jason was suddenly very tempted to leave her there and take their chances.

"Fools! Your Olympian trickery cannot defeat me!" Kratos' voice called out.

Where Kratos had fallen into the hole that Hazel made, only his head was exposed.

"This is a joke, right?" Hazel said.

The five demigods approached the god's head.

"Maybe his muscles are full of hot air." Frank mused.

"Air! AIR! How dare you foolish demi –"

Keenan ended the god's tirade by shoving a ripped piece of his shirt in his mouth. "Game over, Kratos."

"Thank you." Piper breathed a sigh of relief.

"What do we do about her?" Keenan motioned to the cage.

"I say we leave her." Jason said softly. Frank laughed, but Jason wasn't entirely joking. He made eye contact with Piper. A silent communication passed between them_. I don't like her, which means I can't trust her… yet_ – Jason mouthed. Piper's eyes hardened and she nodded back: _I'm with you. We'll take care of this._ A smile fought to take control of Jason's mouth. He fought it down – for now. They weren't out of the woods yet.

"We can't fight the prophecy," Piper said, "Come on."

Piper turned and strolled back to the cage. The others followed. Jason sighed. He could always throw her off the ship if she got too insufferable. The prophecy only said they had to rescue her. After that it was… open for interpretation. The smile finally wrestled control of his face, but he was able to suppress his laughter at the last second.

Keenan looked at him quizzically, then shook his head. Jason missed Leo, if only because the little Fire Dude would have thought that joke was awesome. Hades, Jason would have settled for Percy or even Jack. The Hephaestus' crew just didn't have the flair that the original _Argo II_ or the _Marathon's_ did. Then again, Frank seemed to be coming around. Jason shot the big guy a sideways glance. He was smiling goofily at Hazel, like she had just made the funniest joke in history. Maybe there was hope for their little group yet.

Piper stopped in front of the cage. "Promise to play nice?" She asked the other girl.

"Nice? I _embody_ nice." The girl winked at Jason. His smile morphed into a frown faster than Riptide clicked into a sword.

Piper laughed a little. It was only half forced. Jason saw a look of determination in his girlfriend's eyes. Not the _I'm going to beat the odds and save the world_ type of determination that they commonly found in themselves, but the _I've been stashing Monopoly money under the board and I can't wait to watch the light in your eyes die and our friendship slowly crumble into dust_ kind that struck fear into the heart of even the most casual board game player. You did _not_ play games with a daughter of Aphrodite. It quickly descended into a battle of life and death. A horrifying image of the Hephaestus burning while this girl and Piper clawed at each other's hair, both laughing maniacally flashed into his mind. Jason shook his head in the hopes of clearing it. It didn't work.

Then Piper spoke to the cage. Her voice became powerfully energized. "OPEN!" A section of the cage immediately swung outward, almost hitting Frank. No turning back now.

The girl gracefully stepped out of the cage. Immediately, her whole aura changed. Her hair sparkled in the sun. Her skin shone. The air around her seemed to warm. A fire dazzled behind her dark brown eyes.

She stood still. Her eyes sized up her rescuers, lingering on Jason for an extra second. Her eyes spoke more words than her lips ever could. The twinkle in her eyes answered Piper's challenge: _Game on. This will be fun._

No. N_o_ it will certainly not be _fun_, Jason wanted to say. He had never been more scared of another demigod in his entire life.

"Hello. I'm Celina, daughter of Helios. I heard you need my help to save the world."


	8. The Son of the North

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry that its been so long, the semester has been crazy busy so far. So here is the next installment. During my absence, I've gotten a lot of love for this story and Sea Spawn and the Mutt. I love to get it so thanks so much and keep it coming! Let me know what you think about this.**

**The Son of the North**

"Whoa," escaped Jack's lips.

Percy had to agree. His foot found purchase on first step of the staircase leading to the interior of the castle. The distorted light from the sun that bounced its way through the thick ice made the walls and floor dazzle with stars. There didn't seem to be any sources of artificial light. The hole that the staircase spiraled up into was pitch black.

A squeak echoed. Somewhere above Percy, Jack's foot slipped on the ice, nearly sending him tumbling back to earth… and probably death. Percy, who was pulling up the rear of the group, climbed a few more stairs, and was blanketed by darkness.

"Hey, Dax. Can you do the glowstick trick again?" Percy said as he almost lost his own footing. His voice seemed to carry forever. What he thought was a whisper came out more like a scream.

Dax mumbled in Greek. _Light my path_. _In Memorium_ began to glow green, casting grotesque shadows onto the walls. Percy caught sight of his reflection in the wall. Even though the ice was smooth, its curve stretched Percy to the point where his waistline was closer to that of Mr. D's than his own.

"How's it going up there?" Percy called.

"The same as it was five minutes ago." Dax responded.

"Do you see any light at all?" Jack said.

"No," Dax sighed.

Percy's heart thundered. After the attack of the snowmen, he was ready for another ambush from a demon Santa Claus or Jack Frost. Percy climbed ten more stairs, then ten more, and then another. He tried to count them, but lost track quickly. His best estimate was a few million. They seemed to go on forever.

"Maybe…" Dax muttered, "Hold on."

Dax spat out another Greek phrase. _I made it_. Percy liked that – a little thank you to the gods and the blade while serving as a friendly reminder of how much they accomplish along the way.

The green aura faded. Percy looked up and squinted. He could make out a tiny white ripple in the sea of black. It was definitely something. Percy tightened his grip on Riptide and quickened his pace.

With every step, the white grew. Percy forced himself to look away while he climbed. It just made him more anxious. He wanted to be back on the ship and heading to Panama. That's where they needed to be now – unraveling the prophecy and saving the world, not snowmobiling through the wilds of Canada.

"Finally," Annabeth said as she finished her climb in front of Percy.

Percy stepped off the final stair onto the floor of the room, if it could even be called a room. The chamber looked like it was built for giants, and not the Hyperboreans Percy was so familiar with but the kind of giant that could use the Empire State Building as a baseball bat. A football field turned over to stand vertically might not reach the ceiling. One entire "wall" was transparent, giving Percy a landscape view of Halifax, sitting peacefully on the river.

"I take back my _whoa_ from before," Jack said, "This is way more _whoa_."

Percy turned around to scan the rest of the room. The ice was barren. There was no furniture, occupants, or sign that anyone had ever stepped foot in the room before Percy.

In the center of the room, twin staircases, identical to the one Percy had just climbed, twisted to the ceiling and then beyond.

"Looks like Christmas came early, and what did I get? More stairs! Oh gods, Santa, how did you know that was exactly what I wanted?" Jack cried. His shoulders went limp and he dropped his dagger in defeat, like someone had bludgeoned his soul.

"Are you kidding?" Jenni added.

Percy felt the despair in her voice seep into his bones. He felt his muscles relax. _Gods_, Jenni's charmspeak was powerful, and she wasn't even trying.

"Now what?" Dax asked.

Annabeth frowned and pointed at the stairs. "We keep going."

"Go with Dax and Percy they said. It'll be fun they said," Jack said, "Meanwhile Keegs is getting his tan on with some Brazilian _chicas_."

Skylar put her hand on Jack's elbow and guided him towards the stairs. "I'm sure they're not having a picnic either. We aren't going to turn around now, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should try something different for a change." Jack protested. "My feet hurt."

"Try wearing heels." Annabeth said.

"Hades should look into that as his next addition to the Fields of Punishment, especially for whiny little boys," Jenni said to Jack.

"Bite me," Jack snarled.

The six of them walked towards the staircases. Brazil did sound pretty appealing right now. An image of Frank accidently using way too much sunscreen flashed into his mind. _Hazel, wha- what do I do?_ Percy laughed quietly to himself.

The whole palace groaned, like giant gears had sprung to life below them. Percy stopped in his tracks.

"I do _not_ like the sound of that." Dax said.

Percy and Annabeth made eye contact. Loud, horrifying sounds were _never_ coincidences for demigods. Percy twirled Riptide nervously.

Jack unslung his bow and notched an arrow. His eyes steeled. Faster than Percy could blink, the whiny, afraid Jack was replaced with a warrior.

"Do we run?" He asked. Maybe it was not a complete transformation.

_CLAMP_! Percy felt something cold on both of his legs. He looked down to find his ankles and feet covered in ice. The floor had grown over him. Another tendril of ice shot up from the floor and latched onto his wrists. Percy could not move anything but his neck. Jack was similarly locked in front of him.

"This happens entirely too often." Dax said, his voice hot with anger. He was standing to Percy's right.

Movement caught his eye. A figure was descending the near staircase.

"We really appreciate you're gracious hospitality!" Dax called up.

"What's happening?" Jack asked. His back was to the stairs and he couldn't turn his head around enough to see.

"Our host has arrived." Dax said.

"What's he look like?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. He's too far." Percy answered.

"Well, does he look big? Or Scary? Is he actually a she? Or– "

"Stop!" Jenni yelled, "We don't know yet."

"But is –"

"Jack!" Jenni warned.

Jack grumbled something under his breath, but he stayed quiet. The mysterious figure reached the floor and continued towards the group. Percy could tell now that their captor was indeed a "he." Wrapped in a white cloak with a sky blue trim, he was small. A short, wiry boy who couldn't have been more than sixteen had captured them.

"I'm gonna kill him," Dax said.

"We need him," Annabeth said. Dax growled.

"Welcome to my home," The boy said as he stopped in front of them.

"Yeah, it's really cozy," Percy said.

"Who are you?" their captor asked. There was no malice in his ice-blue eyes.

"You haven't heard of us? We're only the world-saving, ass-kicking, good-looking, Gaea-blasting heroes of the _Marathon_, the fastest ship built by demigods." Jack rattled off.

"Skylar, I thought we agreed no more coffee for Jack." Jenni said.

"This is my fault," Annabeth answered, "I tried to get him to start reading, but the only book he would open is the thesaurus."

"Yup," Jack nodded happily, "I now have eight words that I can substitute for fart." He burst out laughing.

"How is that funny?" Jenni asked.

"How is that _not_ funny?" Jack answered.

"Anyway," Annabeth cleared her throat, "I'm Annabeth Chase. We're from Camp Half-Blood. We are here because of a prophecy that told us to find the son of the north."

The boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. His feet fidgeted. "I know who you are."

"How?" Percy asked.

"The internet."

"See, dude, not that weird." Dax said to Percy.

Percy's mind was blown. He couldn't imagine Camp with the internet. What about all the things he missed out on? Fantasy football, Facebook, online holiday shopping – the list when on and on. Then he thought of the Stolls having internet access. They would be able to wreak havoc on a national level. Maybe Camp was better off.

"My name is Quinn." The boy said.

"Hold on. How did you build this? Are you the only one here?" Dax asked.

Quinn did not answer. He lifted one hand. Ice rose out of the floor and transformed into a sword in his hand. Quinn took the sword and pointed it at Dax. Percy noticed the blade shook.

"You're the son of the north." Annabeth said.

"Correct. Koios is my father."

"Can I kill him _now_?" Dax turned to Annabeth.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why do we need you for the quest?"

"I do not know," Quinn walked around his prisoners, sizing each one up.

"Are we doing this the hard way or the easy way?" Jack glared at Quinn.

"Or the Percy way?" Dax added.

"Hey! We're alive, aren't we?" Percy protested.

"Okay, we can handle this peaceful –" Jenni started.

Quinn wheeled around and pointed the sword at her throat. "Don't try that trick, daughter of Aphrodite." He made a downward motion with his free hand. The ice holding them captive broke apart and fell to the floor. His sword disintegrated. "But you are not wrong."

Percy rubbed his cold, sore wrists. "Was that really necessary?"

"I had to be careful. I knew someone would come eventually, but I had to make sure that you were the right ones." Quinn said. His voice was shaky.

"So the snowmen… those are yours?" Skylar asked.

"Yes, that's my security. It keeps out the monsters." Quinn explained.

"So that's how you get away with using the internet." Percy said.

"How did you know someone would come for you?" Annabeth asked.

"I live here alone, but I've had… visitors. Well, just one. A woman." Quinn explained.

"Is she a babysitter dressed in black or a mud lady? Because we've had some problems with those." Percy said. Percy could not decide if Gaia or Hera the evil babysitter would be a worse omen.

"No," Quinn replied, a little confused, "No. She always wore blue. She never told me her name, but sometimes she called me her brother." His voice quivered.

"Another demititan, maybe?" Skylar asked.

"I'm not sure," Quinn scrunched his eyebrows, "She didn't seem mortal, and she knew… things. She told me about parts of my future."

"She told you that we would come?" Annabeth.

Quinn pointed at Percy and then Dax. "She told me they would – the sons of the sea. I didn't expect so many others. She visited for the last time a few weeks ago. She said she would see me again after we were told the other half of the prophecy."

"I guess we should get started then." Percy said.

A series of nods and yeses answered him. As foreboding as the ice palace was, Percy could tell some of his friends were reluctant to leave. They were relatively safe here. When they left, they were putting themselves back in danger. Unfortunately, they did not have a choice.

Quinn looked terrified. His eyes danced around, like he expected one of the Marathon's crew to attack him. He was rubbing his hands together nervously. It struck Percy that Quinn only interacted with a handful of people, and mostly his mysterious "sister," for his entire life. He didn't know how to be social.

"Do we have to walk all the way back to the ship?" Jack asked.

"I don't think so." Dax punched a series of buttons on his wristwatch. Through the window-wall, Percy saw the parked Marathon turn and began to float towards the palace.

"Um, Quinn, do you have any air defenses set up?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes, I'll disable –" Quinn began but stopped when a giant ball of ice and snow catapulted from the ground towards the hull of the ship. Quinn's hand darted forward and twisted. The iceball disintegrated in the air, tiny fragments bounced harmlessly off of the Marathon. Everyone turned to look at the boy.

"There's an extensive tunnel system below the castle. I set up some… ice catapult machines. I had a lot of time to kill." Quinn didn't sound proud of his accomplishment. Percy felt sorry for him.

"So Boreas wasn't lying after all." Annabeth said.

"There's a first time for everything." Jack grumbled.

Quinn waved his hand again. The ice of the window-wall dissolved into snow and fall gently to the floor. Some snow spilled out the window and tumbled towards the earth. The Marathon gained speed, growing in Percy's vision the closer it flew.

On board the ship, the crew decided that a nap was in order. The excitement of the day had worn them all out. Even Quinn looked exhausted. The Marathon climbed higher in the sky. Quinn hung back, leaning over the railing and watching his home shrinking with every second. Percy walked over to stand next to him.

Quinn did not react. The twisted expression on his face told Percy he was grappling with something – some kind of decision. Then his face relaxed and he took a deep breath. Quinn pointed his hand at the castle and closed it into a fist.

A groan echoed across the white plain. A scar opened in the side of the flawless ice, then another, and another. The cracks spiderwebbed and spread until large pieces began to fall into the palace. The concussion waves created more cracks.

Percy looked at Quinn. "I doubt I'll ever come back here," the son of Koios said, "I don't need to leave a monument for myself."

The main tower proved to be too heavy for the weakening supports of the castle. With a boom, the tower fell through the ceiling of the massive chamber. It hit the bottom and exploded, blowing out the walls. The castle was a monument to Quinn's isolation – his years of waiting that he was born to do and never had a choice in. This was his chance to make his life worth something.

"Sometimes the past is just that – over," Quinn said.

He turned his back on his former home and walked towards the stairs. Percy noticed Quinn walked a little straighter, like he had shrugged off chains that he had been dragging around for years.


End file.
